When I wrote about auctions for The New York Observer, I loved finding an item, talking to its owner or designer and telling the story that leads up to the sale. There’s drama plus it’s fun to be part of a record-breaking moment (not to mention the zen that comes from writing about beautiful or quirky things.) Career Highlights: former judge for the Nathan’s July 4 hotdog eating contest, staff writer for Mademoiselle Magazine and Liz Claiborne Inc.

I wanted to write a splashy lede that compared Andy Williams (think Christmas Special) to Andy Warhol (think of how he might deconstruct a Christmas Special).

The thing is, these two men, who seem so far apart on the artistic spectrum, shared a passion: the love of American Indian Art.

Mr. Williams, who died in September of last year, is known for his versions of such Christmas hits as The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and White Christmas as well as Moon River from 1961– not to mention years of Christmas TV specials and a variety show.

Mr. Williams also had a special thing for American Indian Navajo blankets. They hung in his home, offices and in his Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri. The collection was also exhibited in 1997-1998 at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Andy Williams' Rare Chief's Blanket; courtesy of Sotheby's

In May, Mr. Williams’ Navajo blanket collection will go up for sale at Sotheby’s New York.

Mr. Williams’ interest in the blankets began in the 1950’s, said David Roche, sr. consultant, Sotheby’s American Indian Art department, when few others were collecting. About his blankets, “Andy said they impressed his guests,” said Mr. Roche, “and, hanging next to Rothko’s, they held their own.”

The star of the collection, estimated to sell between $200,000 and $300,000, is a Navajo First Phase Chief’s Wearing Blanket marked by rare red striping. (In the 1800’s, according to the Sotheby’s press release, “The going rate for a Navajo chief’s blanket was one hundred buffalo hides, twenty horses, ten rifles, or five ounces of gold.”)

The red striping was special because, in the early days, red weaving materials were not easy to come by. The weavers would “unravel bolts of cloth, thread by thread, to get the red pieces,” Mr. Roche told me, which is why the red stripes were initially so thin.

In terms of Navajo design, “everything was meant to be in perfect balance. Out of balance, bad things happen,” said Mr. Roche. So a good Navajo blanket design would be one that showed symmetry and balance.

As earlier mentioned, Andy Warhol was also interested in American Indian Art. Both Mr. Warhol and Mr. Williams got advised on their collections by Billy Pierson. But in terms of a comparable recent collection, there really is none Mr. Roche told me.

Sotheby’s estimates the total collection will bring in over $1 million.

I actually met Andy Williams in the 1960’s. My family was on a ski vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho; we were out having dinner when my parents spotted the crooner. I think they actually had me shake his hand. In my snapshot of the memory, he was backlit by a crackling fire in a stone hearth and his date was wrapped in fur.

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